A Grave Mistake
by NobodyAtAll
Summary: Narcissa & Lucius Malfoy tread carefully while serving the Dark Lord, but often, mistakes are made. And Lord Voldemort does not forgive easily... mid-OotP *abandoned*
1. Chapter 1

Narcissa was trembling uncontrollably as Lucius took her home by side-Apparition. They landed just outside of Malfoy Manor, and he brought her inside quickly. Her knees felt weak and began to buckle, but Lucius steadied her. She looked up at her husband, ready to sink into his arms, but the expression she saw on his face came as a complete surprise.

His face was red, positively seeping pure rage. "Have you gone completely _mad_, Narcissa!?" he growled at her, gripping her arms too tightly. Before she could answer he continued, "When did you become a loud-mouthed fool no brighter than your sister!?" He shook her, hard. "Well!?"

She struggled to form words, but spit out "Draco is a child; he has no business-"

Her words were cut off with a "crack!" and a burning flash of pain. Narcissa brought her hand to her cheek, slowly realizing that her husband had just hit her. Hard. Fear began pounding in her chest as she looked back up at him.

"How could you be so stupid!?!" he roared. She tried to get away from him, but he held on to her unforgivingly. "Do you even realize what you've done!?!"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I didn't-"

He struck her again, twice. This time she cried out, and scrambled away from him. He caught her in less than two seconds, wrapping his arms completely around her and, when she struggled violently, pulling her down to the floor with him. Lucius pinned her on the floor, leaning over her. "You have thrown us out of favor, Narcissa! How could it ever occur to you to speak to the Dark Lord like that?! Do you understand what you've DONE?! Any protection we might have had is gone! He has Draco in his clutches now and we can do nothing! And you..." Here he hiccuped, and his expression became even more strained. "...You are lucky to have escaped with your life, do you understand that?! Were it not for your sister and I, he probably... probably would have killed you on the spot... my Cissa..." A choked sob escaped him, and his face screwed up in agony as he eased his hold on her and tears began flowing freely down his cheeks. He slid his arms around her torso and lifted her up, hugging her tightly. Feeling completely distraught, Narcissa returned his embrace, clutching him against her.

Trying to choke down his sobs, Lucius brought her up into a sitting position, with his face still buried in her white-blond hair. "Cissa, you can't do this to me," he croaked.

Narcissa was still trembling, both from the fear and adrenaline of this confrontation with her husband _and_ from the after-effects of the Cruciatus Curse. "I'm sorry, Lucius," she whispered as tears leaked down her face.

He kissed the side of her head. "I could not go on without you." He pulled away slightly so that he could see her face. "I can't afford to lose you now, do you understand?" A fresh wave of tears flowed down her cheeks, but he continued. "If you want Draco and I to go on living, you have to keep yourself alive." His voice carried huge amounts of pain.

"We cannot afford to think of right and wrong anymore, Cissa. We just have to _survive_."

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_A/N: Sorry for the short chapter - next one's more than twice as long!_


	2. Chapter 2

Silently, Narcissa lay on her side in bed; the events of the previous day preoccupied her mind.

"_Narcissa?" his voice hissed softly. He took several menacing steps closer to her. "Have we discovered a traitor?" he said to those around him. Her defiance melted away as he backed her against the wall, and she cast her eyes down. "Look at me, girl," he commanded her icily. She willed herself to raise her eyes to look at him, and slowly she obeyed. His piercing gaze was more threatening than a wand in the face._

An arm slid around her waist, and she felt her husband move close behind her. She took comfort in his embrace, knowing that he loved her above all. Or at least above most everyone, and as much as he loved their son.

_She looked past the Dark Lord and saw her husband, standing stiffly, looking petrified. She met his gaze, and he raised his chin slightly, unwilling to show his fear and desperation in front of the Dark Lord and his followers. But to her, his eyes sank in deeply and held her gaze, as though he was physically stopping her from looking away. Suddenly, though, his gaze shifted, and she looked to see what had changed._

Narcissa gently ran her hand down the arm around her waist, entwining her fingers with his when she reached his hand. He tightened his embrace slightly, holding her tightly against him. His head nestled gently over her shoulder, close enough to kiss her on the temple.

_The Dark Lord had stepped away from her, his head cocked slightly, his face unreadable. He slowly brought forth his wand, holding it up thoughtfully. Her stomach churned, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Lucius take a minuscule step forward. Suddenly, before she could react, he cried "Crucio!" The world went white with blinding pain, and she knew nothing but unparalleled agony for Merlin knows how long. _

_When it finally ended, she lay twisted on the ground, twitching, hoarse... she must have been screaming. When she found the strength to open her eyes, she saw that the Dark Lord stood over her, unusually emotionless. _

Narcissa's body tensed, remembering what happened next. Lucius felt the change, and slid his other arm around her, fully enfolding her in his embrace. She tried not to think about yesterday's events any further, but the horrible ordeal forced its way into her thoughts.

_She looked over at Lucius. His face was drenched in sweat, his expression fixed. He kept his eyes fixed on her, but at the same time refused to make eye-contact with her. The Dark Lord followed her gaze, and slowly turned to face her husband. Lucius immediately tried to stand at attention, meeting his master's stare. "And you, Lucius," the snake-like figure practically whispered. "Are you also hiding your true allegiance from me?" He took a threatening step toward him, wand still at the ready._

"_No, my lord," he answered immediately. Then, more slowly he added, "You are our master, my lord."_

_The Dark Lord stepped closer to his Death Eater, wand before him. Then suddenly his expression grew nasty. "Good." He came to Lucius's side, placing a hand on his back and walking him slightly closer to where his wife lay on the ground. "Teach your wife a lesson in obedience." The Dark Lord turned and paced a few steps away, leaving Lucius standing over Narcissa, breathing heavily and dizzily. For several moments, there was nothing. The Dark Lord leaned toward Lucius slightly, studying him expectantly. "Is there a problem, Lucius?" _

_Narcissa gazed up into her husband's eyes, so full of pain. The distraught man stood motionless. "My lord I... I could say the word, but... it will be useless if I do not mean it."_

_The dark figure moved closer to his servant again, this time his expression dangerous. "And do you not mean it, Lucius? Do you agree that I am wrong to give duties to your son? Do you deny my authority?"_

_Lucius fought his emotions desperately. "My lord I do not agree with my wife's statement, and I support and recognize your authority, but I cannot ... I do not want to harm her... ...please, my lord..."_

_The Dark Lord's eyes narrowed, and he held up his wand. "Crucio!" he cried, but this time it was Lucius who fell under the curse. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground next to her, contorting in pain, screaming. Narcissa stared in horror, sitting up. She felt a sob rising in her throat, and struggled to hold it down. Lucius's torture lasted mere moments, but it was enough to sicken her. Gathering his senses, Lucius brought himself up to his knees, then stood, not looking at her even once. "I've never known you to beg, Lucius," the Dark Lord said scathingly. "Now, you claim loyalty to me. Your wife seems not to care. Will you not punish her for that?" His master's voice grew quieter... even more deadly. "Or perhaps you are a traitor after all."_

_Lucius turned back to her, breathing heavily, gritting his teeth. Narcissa stared up at him, looking pathetic and scared. His expression contorted, and he closed his eyes for a moment. Then, opening his eyes but not really looking at her, he shouted "Crucio!"_

_Agony ripped her apart. She could not see, she could not hear, there was nothing but pain... nothing but twisting, shredding, mutilating pain._

_And then she lay on the ground before her husband in the fetal position, trembling, choking, and gasping. She stared at his shoes, unwilling to look up. She heard the Dark Lord laugh. "And you said you didn't mean it? Lucius, there's no need to hide anger at your wife from us." Narcissa's stomach spasmed, knowing that the remark was meant to drive them apart. But she knew her husband didn't mean it. He couldn't mean it. He couldn't..._

_She lifted her head to look at him, and was met with the familiar steel-gray eyes. But in those eyes she saw a world of pain, and she knew that he hadn't meant it. Not the way the Dark Lord wanted him to._

Narcissa was trembling slightly, and her husband immediately felt it. "Cissa...?" He gently guided her body around to face him. There were tears in her eyes, but they did not escape to her cheeks. "My Cissa, don't cry..." Lucius gently kissed each of her cheeks, then her lips. She scrunched her face slightly, trying with all her might not to succumb to her emotions, but the sobs came forth. She pressed her forehead against his chest, grabbing handfuls of his nightshirt. His strong arms wrapped around her protectively, and she lost herself in her tears.

_The torture had not ended there. After Lucius, the Dark Lord had called forth Bellatrix, to finish the punishment. There was an unusual hesitation on her sister's part, but no refusal, and certainly no failure. When it had finally ended, Narcissa lay on the ground, ignored, for the rest of the meeting. She did not try to get back up and join in the discussion again. Never had she felt so weak in her life, both physically and emotionally. It was a clear statement to her – that neither her husband, nor her sister would stand up for her against the Dark Lord. She did not expect them to, of course – it would have meant certain death. But the warning was there._

She sobbed against Lucius's chest. Never, before last night, had she experienced the Cruciatus Curse. She'd managed to avoid it her entire life, by her obedience and deference. And now... it was too late to fight back. Lucius was right. There was nothing to do but what she'd done her whole life – avoid punishment, remain silent, and outwardly show her loyalty. The best way to protect their family was to simply do nothing.

Lucius held her firmly and protectively, kissing her hair and rubbing her back gently. She was crying so hard that she was struggling to breathe, and she nearly choked. "Narcissa," he said seriously, his mouth near her ear. "Please don't forget that I love you." She hiccuped, pulling him closer. "You and Draco are _everything_ to me. And I won't let you die. Either of you." He reached up to her chin, tipping her head back slightly. Her face was streaked bright red with tears. "_I_ will make sure that Draco is not endangered by the Dark Lord; you needn't stand up to him again. Do you understand me, Cissa?"

Tears continued to tumble down her cheeks, but she nodded slightly. Satisfied with this, he kissed her forehead and pulled her close again, this time with one hand cupping the back of her head.

They lay there the rest of the morning. Nothing, not even a job at the ministry, was more important than this.

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_A/N: Well, how am I doing? I'm not really revising these at all; they're straight out of my head - so tell me if it's not working! ..Or if it IS working! _:)


	3. Chapter 3

Dressed a knee-length gray skirt and a blouse, Narcissa descended the stairs of her home. She reached the foyer, and saw a soft glow of light coming from her husband's study. Knocking on the slightly-opened door, she slowly entered the room, uncertain if he wished to be alone.

He looked up from his desk, clearly exhausted. He studied her, waiting for her to speak.

She walked over to the side of his desk, looking around the study. She didn't know what to say; she only knew that she wanted to be near him.

Lucius regarded her for a few moments, before sighing softly and asking, "What is it, Cissa?"

For a moment she was at a loss for words, then lifted her eyes to his. "How are you?"

A slight smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. "I'm all right... just tired." He took her hand in his gently, pressing a soft kiss against her knuckles. She smiled faintly, and her gaze drifted over to the piece of parchment that lay on his desk. Quickly following her gaze, he very matter-of-fact-ly turned the page over so that she could not read it. Her expression grew a little disappointed. "I'm sorry, darling, but the Ministry has many secrets," Lucius told her smoothly.

Noting his choice of words, she nodded unemotionally. "Yes it does." She looked him in the eyes. "And does that parchment have _anything_ to do with those secrets?"

His brow raised slightly, and a sad smirk grew on his face. "No," he said simply, knowing he was caught in his almost-lie, but that it made no difference.

Narcissa did not ask anything more on the subject, knowing that it would do no good. Instead, she went over to the chair that was against the wall a few feet away and sat down. Lucius watched her, cocking his head slightly. They stared at each other for a long moment. "Are you all right?" he asked sincerely.

It took her a few moments before she nodded. She studied her husband intently. Twenty-four hours ago, she had been on the ground at his feet. Twelve hours ago, he had un-entwined himself from her and finally gone to work. "How did you explain your lateness this afternoon?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"I just told them that you weren't feeling well this morning, and I felt obligated to remain at home until you were all right." He swiveled his chair to face her slightly. "Of course, Fudge had to inquire then if there was another Malfoy on the way. He never was very discreet, that man."

A long silence filled the room. Lucius finally sighed. "Cissa, I need to finish this."

She didn't want to leave the warm study. Her husband was the only other person in the house, besides the house elves. "May I stay?" she requested. He scrutinized her for a moment, so she added, "Please?"

He sighed again, closing his eyes. "I suppose you may." He opened his eyes and, casting one more glance her direction, swiveled his chair back to face the desk. She watched in silence as he wrote several more lines on the parchment, then waited for it to dry. He rolled up the parchment and secured it, then stood and went over to the owl cage in the corner. He attached the rolled document to the owl's leg, then fumbled in his pocket for something. Narcissa saw him pull out his wand, give it a slight flick, and then walk over to the window and release the bird. For a moment she was confused, then realized that he had cast a wordless _Mufflatio_ so that she would not hear the location he specified.

He returned to his high-backed leather chair, sitting down a bit too heavily for propriety. Narcissa made no comment, recognizing his exhaustion. He propped his elbows on the desk, letting his face fall into his hands. Rising slowly, she stepped over to him and gently rubbed his back with one hand. A quiet sigh escaped him. He raised his head to look at her after a few moments. He slowly stood as well, his steel-gray eyes gazing at her mildly. She ran her hand over his upper arm, saying "You need to get some rest, my love."

Lucius merely smiled in reply, a tender smile that she did not often see. He tucked a strand of her long blond hair behind her ear, gently tracing the edge of her face with his fingertips. Then, running his hand through her hair so that he cupped the back of her head, he leaned in and kissed her. His lips were gentle, his movements slow. After a few moments, he drew back slightly, and she opened her eyes to meet his. For a few moments they communicated without words, merely looking into each other's eyes. Then, intoxicated with his touch and scent, she leaned in to kiss him again. Her hands moved to rest on his shoulders, pulling him closer. Their kisses and movements remained tender, yet full of underlying passion. Lucius's hands slid to either side of her waist, and he gently guided the two of them to his right, rolling the chair out of their way with his foot. He lifted her up slightly and sat her on his desk. Surprised, Narcissa opened her eyes and pulled away to look at him. Lucius smiled at her expression, and began unbuttoning her blouse. She felt her cheeks blushing as he exposed her creamy skin. Being undressed in the bedroom was one thing, but being undressed on top of a desk... was something entirely different. As he undid the last button, he kissed her again, this time traveling from her mouth, along her jawline, down her neck, down her chest... he slid his hands beneath her unbuttoned shirt, caressing her stomach and back... and suddenly, he flinched, quickly drawing away from her.

Narcissa's eyes flew open. Her husband had turned his back to her. Confused and concerned, she slid forward on the desk, sliding a hand to his back. "Lucius... what is..." Her voice trailed off as he turned slightly toward her, and she saw that he was holding his left arm. Her heart sank in both disappointment and apprehension.

Her husband's expression conveyed frustration, anger, and extreme disappointment, but what sickened Narcissa was the fear she saw in his eyes. He took a moment to compose himself, then stood up straighter and faced her. He gently tipped her head forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm sorry, my Cissa," he said in a husky voice, staring into her long-lashed eyes. "I _have_ to go." He looked her up and down once with his eyes, clearly dismayed, before kissing her cheek and whisking out of the room.

Pausing only for a moment, Narcissa slid off the desk and followed him, pulling her blouse together as she went. "Lucius!" she called, following him up the stairs as he went to fetch his Death Eater robes. He glanced over his shoulder at her to let her know he was listening, but continued moving. "Don't go."

Lucius rounded the top of the stairs and headed down the hall toward their bedroom. "Cissa, believe me, I would love to stay and finish what we started, but I can't-"

"I don't mean that." She followed close behind, catching up. "I don't want you to get hurt. Don't go. Please don't go."

He entered their bedroom and immediately headed for the wardrobe. "I've been summoned plenty of times before-"

"Don't pretend to me that nothing has changed! Who knows what danger he'll put you in now?"

Suddenly he stopped moving and rounded on her. "And whose fault is that?" he asked sharply. Narcissa felt her stomach cramp up and her face flush with shame and guilt. He stared her down for a few moments before turning without a word and flinging open the wardrobe.

Tears stung her eyes as she watched him swiftly change into the plain black robes. "Lucius, I beg you – please don't go. You feel as I do, I can _see_ the fear in your eyes-"

She had gone too far. He stalked over to her, grabbing her shoulders fiercely. "Did you _not_ learn last night that defiance will bring nothing but swift, painful punishment!?" He looked into her eyes as though she were crazy. Quickly, he led her over to their bed and sat her down none too gently. "I will not argue with you about this. You calm yourself, then go to bed. I expect to find you dreaming peacefully when I return." He tilted her chin up with his hand. "Don't cry, my love," he said, softer. "I'll be back soon enough." With that, he grabbed his mask, took out his wand, and left the room.

Narcissa was left sitting on the edge of their bed, wishing with all her heart that the Dark Lord would just be defeated.

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_A/N: Let's just see where this goes, shall we? _:) _Don't forget to review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Thanks to ChocolateGal16 for pre-reading this! (I guess that would count as beta-reading. Maybe. I'm not sure.) Yay!  
Enjoy!_

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Lucius quietly entered the dark room, looking around warily. He seemed to be alone, but he knew better than to lower his guard. Finally he spotted the dark figure standing by a window across the room, his back to him. Lucius's stomach jumped slightly, but he forced himself to maintain his calm facade. "My Lord," he said, as steadily as possible.

The man at the window did not move. Though he felt jittery with nerves, Lucius remained still as well. For almost a full minute, they stood like this, until finally the Dark Lord turned to face his servant.

"You disappoint me, Lucius." The Dark Lord walked toward him leisurely. Lucius wanted to step away, but remained firmly rooted in his place. "I would expect that _your_ wife would not be so ...incorrigible."

Lucius inclined his head slightly. "Forgive her impudence, my Lord. Narcissa is just an emotional mother, determined to ensure her son's safety." He spoke smoothly, but respectfully. "She allowed her emotions to overcome her."

The Dark Lord cocked his head slightly, then meandered to the left a bit, studying his servant. "The Malfoys are an old pureblood family, with generations of ..._respectable_ marriages. I don't know of a single head of the Malfoy family who was ruled by his _wife_," he punctuated the last few words to drive his point home.

"That's because none have been, as of now, my Lord."

"You defied me rather than punish her. And you say she does not rule you?"

Lucius lowered his gaze to the floor, gathering his thoughts quickly; he could not afford to say the wrong thing. "My Lord, she did not escape punishment, even after leaving our meeting. I hesitated only because I feared that my anger was not sufficient to cast the curse effectively – "

"Do not lie to me, Lucius." The Dark Lord stopped walking and regarded him. "A wife should be no more than a pet; existing to amuse you. When a dog misbehaves, it receives a swift kick." He lowered his voice even more. "If the offense is bothersome enough, it no longer serves its purpose and is eliminated."

Lucius tensed, slowly lifting his eyes to meet his lord's. The crimson eyes he saw were ice cold. Determined to remain calm outwardly, Lucius did not answer immediately. "My Lord... ...our family has been loyal, never uttering a traitorous word since you came to power. My wife's protective instincts overcame her good sense and dedication for one moment, but she won't soon forget the consequences of that moment."

The Dark Lord considered him for a moment, then his red eyes widened. Suddenly Lucius felt his master dive into his mind, sifting through his thoughts. Lucius was not a master Occlumens, but he was proficient, and immediately put up some barriers in his mind, trying to bring up memories that he _wanted _the Dark Lord to see. He felt his master searching through his recent memories. Lucius brought up the image of him hitting Narcissa when they returned home, of him torturing her in the Dark Lord's presence – his master immediately flung that memory aside; Lucius hid the memory of telling Narcissa that they just had to survive – he didn't know how his master would take that. He was having trouble keeping up with the Dark Lord, and he began seeing things that he'd rather not let his master see... he and Narcissa entangled on the floor, clutching each other desperately... ...Narcissa sobbing uncontrollably in his arms... ...Cissa on his desk, her shirt hanging open, him running his hands over her skin...

And suddenly he was gone from his thoughts, and Lucius quickly regained his composure. The Dark Lord looked at him with mock sympathy. "I hadn't realized I was interrupting, Lucius," he said, a bit smug.

Lucius said nothing.

"Your wife is weak. Those who are weak are swayed easily."

"My Lord, Narcissa is a Black; she has supported the cause of the purebloods since _childhood_. Forgive me, my Lord, but she won't be changing her loyalties, especially while under my charge."

His master considered him for a long moment. "Very well, Lucius. I trust you will ensure that no such outburst occurs again." He turned away from him, and went back to the window. "Go."

Slightly relieved, Lucius turned to leave the room. "And Lucius?"

He turned to face the figure now looking out the window. "My Lord?"

The Dark Lord did not bother to turn. "When an uncontrollable pet is no longer wanted, the master kills it _himself_."

There was a long silence. "Yes, my Lord," he whispered.

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Narcissa was in bed, but had never been more awake in her life.

She couldn't even think of going to sleep when Lucius was in such danger. Horrible mental images flashed before her eyes, of her husband being tortured and dying, of him going on impossibly dangerous missions, being caught, taken to Azkaban, receiving the Dementor's Kiss... She needed him to come home and be in her arms, so that she knew he was safe.

On the other hand, she was equally afraid that Lucius had been summoned merely to get him out of the way, and that the Death Eaters or even the Dark Lord himself were coming for her. The most upsetting image that came to mind was that of her sister – for though she dearly loved her sister (she was her sister, after all), Bellatrix had not been in her right mind for some time now, even before Azkaban. Last night, she'd _known_ that Lucius did not want to torture her, but Bella... she wondered about Bella. Her older sister seemed to thrive on torturing people of late. And even worse than that, she lived and breathed the Dark Lord. She no longer thought for herself. Narcissa cringed to think of what was going on between Bellatrix and the Dark Lord, but was fairly certain that her sister did not go home to Rodolphus at night.

So if the Dark Lord ordered Bellatrix to kill her baby sister, would she cheerfully follow his orders?

Narcissa didn't want to think about that. She was fairly certain she knew the answer.

And so she lay awake in the darkness, staring at the wall, forcing the dreadful imaginings from her mind. When the door of the bedroom swung open slowly, she jumped and turned over to look at the door. There was a figure coming through the door, but the room and hallway were both pitch black.

"Lucius?" she said timidly.

The figure sighed. "You're not asleep, then, I take it," the voice drawled.

Narcissa relaxed at the sound of his voice, throwing back the covers and bouncing across the room to wrap him in her arms.

"Narcissa, try to be proper for once," he said stiffly.

She withdrew her embrace slowly, confused and a little hurt. "Are you all right?"

In the deep shadows, she saw him look down at her. "Quite."

Something seemed terribly wrong. "What happened?"

He made a face that expressed annoyance. "You don't need to ask so many questions." He stepped around her briskly, unbuttoning his robes.

Narcissa recognized the 'Malfoy' veneer she was facing, but couldn't understand why she was seeing it. "Lucius...– "

"Go to bed, Narcissa."

Simmering with frustration, she obeyed him. The last time Lucius had treated her this way was after Abraxas Malfoy had berated him for being so "primitive" with his fiancé (they'd been kissing, rather chastely, in the drawing room. Alone.). She pulled the covers up to her chin angrily and stared at the ceiling.

Lucius got into bed, pulling up the covers and then sidling up to her. She squirmed away from him. "Try to be proper for once, Lucius," she hissed spitefully.

For a moment she thought he might hit her, but what he actually did was far more painful. He laughed. He laughed, not his real laugh, but his 'Malfoy' laugh, that malicious laugh he used when mocking those he considered inferior. He sat up, then propped himself up with an arm on either side of her so she was trapped. "Narcissa... You know I love you, but I can't have you making outbursts like the one last night. You could damage your own reputation, my reputation, the Black reputation, and the _Malfoy_ reputation. Perhaps you have forgotten the values of this family."

She scooted out from under him and sat up. "You _won't_ speak to me like this," she said incredulously. "To the ministry, to your friends, to the Dark Lord, to _Draco_ even, if you must, but NOT to me!" She'd shoved him away from her and now threw back the covers and got out of bed, heading for the door.

Immediately he was out of bed and grabbing her tightly. "Cissa, you can't – "

"I most certainly _can_ do whatever I bloody well please!"

"You are completely out of control, Narcissa!"

Her voice became incredibly outraged. "DON'T YOU TALK DOWN TO ME LIKE THAT!!! I am your _wife_, Lucius, not some Muggle-born imbecile! If I wanted to talk to a hypocritical self-absorbed one-dimensional chauvinist, I'd go talk to Travers or Avery! I have been awake all night worrying about you, praying that you'd come home to me safe, and all you can do is put up a wall between us!!"

Lucius stared down at her, his face a mask of intimidation. Yet he said nothing. His grasp had loosened slightly, so when she saw that he was not going to break character or apologize, she pulled out of his grip and moved for the door. Before she made it two steps, though, he grabbed her arms and slammed her back against the door. Pain shot through her shoulders and neck. He was crushing her arms in his grip and pushing her against the door, but there was something in his eyes that didn't match his actions. Nevertheless... he was hurting her. Oddly enough, Narcissa found herself smirking at him. "Are you going to beat me, Lucius?" she asked, clearly challenging him. Her eyes flashed nastily. "Funny – your father used to beat your mum in this room. Keeping up the old traditions, I guess."

Her husband's expression became pained. "You _won't_ speak of my parents like that."

"Why not? It was obvious. She'd go to bed in the evening looking healthy and fine, and in the morning she'd have a black eye – and she'd flinch whenever your father moved abruptly – it's probably why he always carried a cane. And don't tell me you don't remember Christmas morning of – "

She'd done it – his veneer cracked and revealed a completely livid man. He yanked her away from the door and gave her a good shove, making her fall to the floor in a heap. "You'd LIKE me to hit you, Narcissa, wouldn't you?" he snarled. "You'd like for me to beat you, so that it's MY fault, so that I'M the one who's wrong, so we forget that it's YOU who couldn't keep your BLOODY MOUTH SHUT in front of the Dark Lord, and YOUR FAULT that I had to torture you, and YOUR FAULT that I have to treat you like this!!!" He remained where he stood, his shoulders heaving. His voice became calmer but no less angry. "I _am_ sorely tempted to take you up on that challenge – there will be no question of you _ruling_ me if you can barely walk the next time the Dark Lord sees you."

Narcissa gazed up at him, controlling her heavy breathing. Guilt ate away at her, and her anger was swiftly dissolving into mere sadness. She did not break eye contact with him. He slowly walked over until he was standing right over her, towering. For a moment she recalled being in the same position last night, and felt her stomach tighten. Lucius stared down at her without moving or speaking. _He's really going to do it_, she thought. _I've pushed him over the edge and he's going to do it_. ..._But_..._ I love him_..._ Nothing will ever be the same if he does this_..._ I don't want to think of you like this, Lucius, please don't_..._please_...

He studied her intensely for another moment. Then he held out his hands to her. Hesitantly, she took hold of them, and he helped her up. He moved over to their bed and sat down, drawing her along and then very, very gently guiding her to sit across his lap like a child. He cradled her in his arms, letting her head tip back slightly so he could look into her eyes. "Cissa... I'm just a man," he said quietly.

Knowing that this was his way of apologizing, she gave a barely-noticeable nod and slid one of her hands up to rest on his shoulder. "What happened?" she asked softly, lowering her gaze.

He shifted her slightly in his arms. "The Dark Lord expects you to be subordinate," he practically whispered. "He expects me to keep you subordinate, because if you aren't..." His voice caught in his throat. "If you aren't, he'll order me to kill you."

Narcissa's eyes flicked back up to his quickly. She wished she didn't have to ask... "And would you obey?"

He made an odd face. "I shouldn't ever receive that order." His eyes were positively blazing. "Surely you wouldn't put me in that position, Cissa; it would be a horrible decision to make!"

"You'd even have to think about it?" she asked incredulously.

"If I refused to obey the Dark Lord's order to execute you, what do you think would happen, Cissa? You'd end up dead anyway, probably by Bellatrix's hand, and I'd probably end up dead too, leaving Draco to be raised by the Lestranges. Or, you'd be executed anyway, I'd be tortured nearly out of my mind, and Draco would be killed, too, – "

A lump was rising in her throat, but she didn't allow herself to cry. "Stop," she interrupted him. The hand on his shoulder clutched a handful of his nightshirt tightly.

"Just... stop."

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_A/N: Review, please! I don't know how soon the next chapter will be coming, because I have finals coming up. But stay tuned - the story WILL be continued!  
Until then, Happy Thanksgiving! _:)


	5. Chapter 5

Lucius's lips gently made their way down the side of his wife's neck, over her shoulder and down her arm, stopping to place delicate kisses on her bruised flesh. A faint smile formed on her lips. "Do you think you'll just kiss it and make it better?" she asked quietly. The early morning sunlight streamed through the window and landed on their bed, filling the room with a warm glow.

Lucius stopped kissing her arm, and instead brought his face over to brush against hers. "That always works, doesn't it?" he smiled. She shook her head, rolling her eyes. He slid over her more, trapping her underneath him, but she didn't mind. Somehow their nightclothes had been lost overnight, and the couple was in no rush to be finding them again.

Enjoying the feeling of his belly pressed against hers, she cupped his face gently, making him look into her eyes. "You're awfully sweet when you want to be." She threaded her fingers through his hair. "Why don't you kiss me?"

He went above and beyond her request.

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After their little romp in the bedroom that morning, Lucius left the house and did not return until well after supper-time. Narcissa had no idea where he'd been all day, considering that he didn't work on Fridays, but knew better than to go interrogating him, especially after last night. Still, his secrecy was driving her positively mad.

"Cissa."

Lucius was sitting in his armchair in the drawing room, looking pensive. Setting down her book, she rose from where she was sitting, across the room, and moved over to him. He was slouched slightly, staring into the fire. "I spoke to Draco." He glanced up at her. "I paid him a visit at school today."

Narcissa felt disappointment overtake her. "You visited Draco without me?"

"If we both went to talk to him, he'd assume that something was wrong. Besides, there are some things that we needed to discuss that you don't need to know."

She narrowed her eyes. "What aren't you telling me?"

"He's a fifteen-year-old _boy_, Cissa. There are certain things that fifteen-year-old boys don't like to talk about with their mothers," he smirked. Then his expression grew more serious. "And I talked to him about his orders from the Dark Lord." Lucius sat up straighter and took his wife's hand. "Cissa, all he's ordered him to do is keep an eye on Potter. Draco says that the Dark Lord specifically told him _not_ to go out of his way, but merely to be watchful when he was around, probably because the Dark Lord suspects that Draco would get caught if he started prowling around after Potter. He's to report any strange behaviors to either me or Bellatrix, immediately."

"Why not to Snape? And why have Draco do this at all, if Snape is there?"

Lucius looked at his wife curiously. "I'd imagine he doesn't want to put all his eggs in one basket. Besides, he has Snape keeping constant watch over Dumbledore." He squeezed her hand gently. "But in any case, he hasn't given him anything terribly dangerous to do."

Narcissa made a face. "It's the Dark Lord, Lucius. Of course it's dangerous."

Her husband stood up, staring into her eyes. He ran his hands down her arms gently, stopping at her elbows. "Cissa, I know you don't want to let go, but you must accept that our son is growing up," he said softly, knowingly. "The path to power can be a dangerous one, but it is well worth the effort. Sooner or later, Draco will have to decide to join. He isn't about to start supporting Mudbloods, Cissa, you know that; and as the son of a Death Eater he has little choice in the matter. He will rise in the ranks under the Dark Lord and retain power for the family. It is a dangerous occupation, but a highly influential and respected position at the same time."

She nodded slightly, slowly, trying to accept what he was saying. Lucius pulled her against him gently, then lifted her chin. "Cissa, what's the matter?" he asked very quietly.

Unable to organize her thoughts, she just shook her head. Knowing that he wouldn't accept this as an answer, though, she tried to explain herself. "Draco is of little use to the Dark Lord. Really, Lucius, he is," she insisted as her husband made a face as though to protest. "He hardly knows any magic worth knowing in the real world."

"Which would not be the case, had he gone to Durmstrang," Lucius added disdainfully.

"And besides that," Narcissa continued, purposely ignoring his comment, "do you really want your teenage son in the Dark Lord's inner circle? You know he has a temper, and usually just says whatever pops into his head at the moment."

"Yes," Lucius agreed softly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Can't imagine where he got that trait."

Narcissa's cheeks flushed slightly. "Lucius, you're ignoring the point, here."

He sighed. "The Dark Lord has said nothing about Draco receiving the Mark. I doubt he will offer it to him any time soon." He thought for a moment, then looked at her again with a new intensity. "Cissa... The Dark Lord is being very merciful to us. As long as you behave in a manner befitting a follower of the Dark Lord and a wife of a highly respected pureblood patriarch such as myself, he is not punishing us any further." Though she still looked unenthusiastic, he squeezed her elbows gently. "He does still stand for our cause, and he is _not_ endangering our son the way you thought he was. Clearly, he respects our family, Cissa. Not everyone would get off so easily."

"He doesn't _respect _us; he finds us useful for the moment."

Lucius gave her a very superior, 'Malfoy-esque' look. "Well, then we'll just have to show him how very _useful_ we are, won't we?"

He waited until he got a slight nod of agreement from her, then kissed her cheek and left the room, saying he had some work to do. Narcissa watched him go out the open door of the drawing room, cross the foyer, and enter his study, closing the door behind him.

So he'd been at Hogwarts for a few hours. But that did not explain away his absence for the entire day. And now he was in his study, 'working' behind the heavy wooden door.

Under normal circumstances, she would have minded her own business and paid him no mind. But she had the distinct feeling that whatever he was hiding had to do with her.

And she was growing very tired of all his secrets.

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_A/N: All right, I couldn't resist writing another chapter. But now I seriously am going to study for my finals, so no more until after Dec. 15th! Please stay tuned though, and as usual - don't forget to review! _;-)


	6. Chapter 6

A few weeks went by, with no change in Lucius's behavior. He'd disappear at strange hours, come home late, and act generally mysterious whenever Cissa came anywhere near his study. More and more, her curiosity about his behavior grew, and she became more and more frustrated with him. It was difficult not to become a nag. She wanted to know what he was doing, but he gave her no opportunity to ask about it, and if she asked when unprompted, he became cross with her.

Narcissa was indignant about the whole matter. It clearly had something to do with her – probably some sort of setup to test her loyalty – so why wouldn't he tell her anything about it?

Slowly, her frustration gave way to anger directed at her husband, and slowly but surely he became aware of that anger. But of course, he took a very righteous attitude with her about it. "My directives from the Dark Lord have never been any of your business, Narcissa. Why should that suddenly change?" he said to her when she was exceptionally persistent. In addition to all this, he'd developed the recent, irritating habit of ordering her to "go help Sukey make supper, or find something useful to do" whenever she annoyed him. (This, she felt, was exceptionally rude and un-called-for, suggesting that a witch of her breeding would cook for herself!) Not that it mattered about supper, because he hadn't been at home to eat at the usual time for almost a week.

Finally, though, there came an evening when Lucius was actually home at suppertime and they could dine together. Not surprisingly, it took all of three minutes for them to get on each others nerves. It was miraculous, really, the way a simple "how was your day?" could spark a conflict.

"Well, you could respond with more than just 'fine;' _that_ might make me happy," Narcissa replied to her husband's rhetorical question.

Lucius regarded her calmly. "Perhaps there aren't more words to describe it; perhaps my day was truly, simply, just _fine_."

"Very well then; since you will not elaborate on the quality of your day, we will sit here in silence, since I clearly may not ask you what you _did_ today."

Her husband raised an eyebrow. "I spoke to your sister today."

Narcissa glanced up at him. "Really. About what?"

His expression became unreadable. "That's the part you cannot know."

She put down her silverware noisily, sighing, and reached for her glass of wine. "Honestly, Lucius, you're enough to drive a witch to distraction," she said, frowning.

"Or to drink, apparently," he commented smoothly. In mid-sip, Narcissa glared at him over top of her glass, and then downed the entire thing.

She was about to ask him how it felt to be replaced by a bottle of wine, when he suddenly winced and grabbed his arm. Narcissa shook her head; on one hand, she was shocked that he was being called away so often, ...yet on the other hand, this was _exactly_ how she'd expected this meal to end. It upset her, deeply, to have him once again leaving without telling her where he was going, but she tried to mask her feelings with sarcasm and scorn. "Doesn't the Dark Lord ever have supper? Is he not human enough to recognize proper mealtimes? Of course not," she muttered bitterly.

Lucius remained cool, despite her hostility, and rose from the table. As he moved around his chair, he drew his wand and muttered a spell. Immediately, Narcissa's chair pulled away from the table and swiveled to face him. Placing a hand on either arm of the chair, he leaned down so that his face was directly in front of hers. "I suggest you get your attitude in order. Hmm?" he said calmly, staring her down. Narcissa's eyes were brimming with tears despite her best efforts, so she looked away from his intense grey stare. Apparently satisfied with this, he cupped her cheek gently for a moment before leaving the room.

Narcissa stared at her lap. This was ridiculous. If he wanted to conceal things from her, he was going to have to do a better job than _this_. Blatantly hiding things from her was downright infuriating, and he knew it! It was as though he was doing this on purpose, just to drive her mad! Well, she'd had enough. When he got home from this meeting, she would demand to know... ... ...but of course she couldn't. If she asked questions, the Dark Lord would see it as betrayal, and this time he would not show her mercy. Seething, Narcissa slammed her hand on the table, making the dishes clatter.

Immediately, the house elf came running out from the kitchen to her. "Can Sukey help Mistress with anything?" the little creature asked, clearly a bit frightened of her mistress.

Cissa looked down at the elf, her face flushed and eyes wet. She almost dismissed the elf reflexively, but then had a thought. "Yes, Sukey... ...bring me the rest of this bottle." She held up her glass, indicating what she meant.

The servant looked uncertain. "Master is not liking it when Mistress drinks too much..."

"Do it now!" she shrieked at the creature, no longer even slightly controlling her rage. The elf scurried back into the kitchen, and returned quickly with the bottle.

"Mistress," Sukey said as she handed the wine to Narcissa, "You are knowing that Master becomes angry when Mistress does this..."

Narcissa poured herself another glass. "One bottle of wine is not enough to make me _drunk_, Sukey."

The little elf lowered her eyes and left the room, almost sadly.

Ignoring the little creature, or at least trying to, she drank down another glass. What else could she do? She was trapped, unable to defy even her husband, let alone the Dark Lord. Everything was spiraling out of her control, and there was _nothing_ she could do about it. She felt her anger melting into sadness, but didn't allow it to happen. The tears that streamed down her cheeks burned with frustration and shame. _She_ was the mistress of this house, yet she no longer had control of it! Lucius would sooner tell _Bellatrix_ his darkest secrets than his own wife!

Her hands shook with anger, but she managed to pour herself another glass. This was ridiculous. Lucius was _her_ husband. This was _her_ home. They were making secret pacts and conspiring about _her_. She had a right to know what was going on, especially since they were doing it right under her nose!

The grandfather clock chimed, startling Narcissa. Eight o'clock. Who knew what time Lucius would be home? Usually he didn't reappear until at least eleven or twelve. _Off getting himself into Merlin knows what_, she thought bitterly. _And all I can do is wait for the bad news._

Or ...could she? He wouldn't be back for at least two hours. That was plenty of time to get into his study... but that was madness. If Lucius found out that she'd been snooping around his private things, he'd be furious. He'd be worse than furious. He'd be absolutely livid. ..._Oh, grow a spine, Cissy!_ she thought to herself. He didn't need to know. There would be no reason to tell him. Besides, she had every right to know what he was hiding from her in there. It was _her_ life on the line, too, not just his!

Knowing that if she didn't do this right away she'd never get the courage again, Narcissa rose from the table and walked bravely toward his study. With each step her heart raced faster. As she approached the large wooden door, she drew her wand from her pocket. She stopped in front of the door, trembling slightly with adrenaline. "I have to know," she breathed aloud, clenching her jaw. She raised her wand, pointing it at the lock, and froze there for several seconds. "_Alohomora_," she whispered finally.

The lock sparked, and the door fell slightly open. With a sick feeling in her stomach, she entered the room.

For a moment she looked around. His owl was not on its perch – _probably out delivering some secret messages_, she thought bitterly. With more confidence, she walked over to his desk, surveying the immaculate top. There wasn't a single piece of parchment there. Unperturbed, she opened the top drawer, only to find various inks and quills, and continued on to the next drawer, in which she found a lot of paperwork regarding the Ministry, their Gringotts vault, and their taxes, but nothing about the Dark Lord whatsoever. A bit nervous now, she opened the bottom drawer and went through every single parchment, finding nothing about which she either cared or was ignorant.

Feeling sick and foolish, she leaned back in his leather chair. Of course he didn't keep his important, secret documents about the Dark Lord in his desk. Lucius wasn't _that_ naïve. He either had a secret hiding place for his documents, which she could look for all night and still never find, or he destroyed the documents as soon as he read them. Narcissa closed her eyes as tears began to swell.

A sudden fluttering behind her made her eyes fly open. She turned around quickly. Lucius's owl had returned and was sitting on the windowsill... with a letter. With her heart suddenly pounding once again, she stood and approached the bird apprehensively. It watched her with piercing yellow eyes, holding the envelope in its beak. She reached out her hand and took hold of the letter, staring at the owl. For a few long moments, it stared at her, not letting go of the parchment. Then, deciding that she was the next best thing to Lucius, it released the letter and flew over to its perch.

Narcissa stared at the letter in her hand for a moment. She shouldn't open it. He'd know. ...But it was sealed with wax. She could easily un-seal it, then re-seal it. He'd never have to know. Then, without thinking any further, she opened the envelope and took out the parchment.

_Lucius,_

_Perseus Thatcher was unable to provide any information regarding the entrance to the Hall of Prophecy. Seeing as we can't find the Prophecy if we can't enter the department, I highly suggest you make some new contacts before the Dark Lord loses patience and selects a new team. Our resources are running very thin, and we don't have much more time. _

_-Nott_

_P.S. I have Thatcher under the Imperius, in case we need him later._

Narcissa read the letter in disbelief, slowly realizing what it meant. Then, to her horror, the parchment dissolved into ashes in her hands.

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_A/N: Thank you so much to everyone for being so patient! I know it's been quite a while, but I assure you that my life has been ridiculously hectic. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, stay tuned, and don't forget to review!! _:)


	7. Chapter 7

This simply couldn't be happening.

The letter had destroyed itself as soon as she'd finished reading it. There was nothing left but the little bit of ash that had fallen into her lap.

Narcissa stared down at the letter's remains, paralyzed. There was no hiding it, now. She'd broken into Lucius's private study, rummaged through his documents, opened his correspondence, seen what she wasn't meant to see, and deprived him of the opportunity to read it.

He was going to kill her.

_No_, she thought quickly, _no. He isn't going to kill me. He may be furious, he may beat me, he may throw me in the cellar and never speak to me again..._ Without realizing it, she began hyperventilating. What was she going to do!? What _would _Lucius do when he realized what she'd done?

She stared at his desk and tried to think of how to rectify the situation, but no solution came to her that didn't include running away, which was completely childish to say the least.

What had the letter said? Narcissa struggled to remember the details of what she'd read, and drew a complete blank. Panic began to set in. Lucius needed to know what that letter said, or there would be even bigger problems. Moving suddenly, she grabbed a blank sheet of parchment and a quill from his desk drawer and, shakily, began to write down what she remembered. Something about a prophecy... She started to cry. She couldn't remember. All she knew was that the parchment alluded to her husband breaking into the Ministry of Magic to retrieve a prophecy, which was positively mad. Sobs wracked her entire body, making her gasp and choke. Stupid, she was so stupid! Why did she ever think this was a good idea? ...But she had to remember. What had it said? It hadn't been that long, why couldn't she remember it? There had been a post-script. ...Nott had their contact in the Ministry under the Imperius Curse! She quickly scribbled that down. She wracked her mind for what else it had said, but couldn't come up with anything else.

Crying uncontrollably, she brushed the ashes off her lap and stood up, taking the parchment with her. She locked the door from the inside, then left the study and pulled the door closed. Not that it made any difference now, but she'd rather not be in his study when he returned. Nauseous, pale, and weak, Narcissa sank down onto the stairs, sobbing. Lucius would never forgive her for this.

Two hours later, Narcissa was still sitting on the stairs, but was much more composed. She sat calmly, staring at the front doors, emotionless. She'd convinced herself that she could remain composed, and not lose all control when her husband got home.

As soon as Lucius came through the doors, he sensed that something was not right. He approached her and stopped a good three feet away. "What are you doing?" he asked, still a bit miffed from their earlier argument.

"Waiting for you," she answered stiffly, trying to conceal all emotion. He rolled his eyes slightly, and began heading up the stairs, past her. Knowing that she couldn't let this go, she said quickly, "Lucius."

He paused, and looked down at her.

"There's something I have to tell you."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, and came back down a few stairs until he was standing fairly close to her, towering over her. Her stomach somersaulted several times as she looked up at his expectant face. "I... I... Lucius, I... _accidentally _opened a letter that came for you." From the moment she said "accidentally opened" his eyes practically exploded with rage.

"You _WHAT_?" He grabbed her arm. "Answer me!!! You did what!?!"

Completely losing the composure she'd worked so hard to regain, Narcissa began sobbing. "I read a letter that came for you," she cried, no longer looking at him. He yanked her up by one arm, grabbing her around the torso with his other arm. "I didn't mean to, I never meant to-"

"You didn't mean to open a letter!?!!" he shouted directly in her face. She was becoming weak with fear and adrenaline, hardly able to control her own muscles, and merely shook her head as he said this, sobbing. "And where is this letter? Narcissa? Where is the letter!?" he demanded, shaking her a little bit. Fear mixed with fury radiated from his eyes. His voice betrayed that he already knew the dreaded answer.

"It – it destroyed itself, after I read it," she sobbed.

Lucius's greatest fears were confirmed with that statement. Suddenly falsely calm, he lowered her down to the step, going down with her. "What did it say, Narcissa?" He grabbed her under the chin and forced her to look at him. "Narcissa Malfoy," he said in a voice that was so calm it was deadly, "What was in that letter?"

Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I wrote down what I remembered," she said wretchedly, her voice strained and cracking as she held up the parchment that had been crumpled in her hand.

Immediately, Lucius took it from her and read it. "This is all you remember?" he asked, his voice practically a whisper. She nodded, and immediately he slapped her across the face. "I don't even know what this means!" he roared, suddenly losing all premise of being calm. When Cissa just looked at him helplessly, not offering anything more, he grabbed her by the hair, stood, and pulled her down the couple of steps and across the room to the door of the study. She cried out in pain when he stopped her by yanking her head back so she was looking at him. "You broke into my study, didn't you?"

"Let go of me, Lucius," she sobbed, trying to disentangle his hand from her hair. He only tightened his grip.

"_Tell me_, Narcissa, if you ever want me to let go." He reached into his pocket with his other hand, pulling out the key to the door. "You broke into my study."

This pain was far worse than what she'd felt while being tortured by the Dark Lord. She felt nauseous, weak, frightened, ashamed, worthless. "Yes," she whispered, hating herself more than anything in the world at that moment.

He did not let go of her hair. With the other hand, he unlocked the door, then pushed her through and practically dragged her across the room until he reached his desk. He shoved her into his big leather chair, finally releasing her. Shaking and raw, she crumpled over in the chair. Ignoring her weakness, he stepped around the chair, pacing like an interrogator. "We are not leaving this room until I know every single detail of that letter, do you understand me?" he said mercilessly. She did not respond, but he didn't seem to care at the moment. "What contact was he talking about? I need a name."

Narcissa hiccuped, trying to remember the name. It wasn't anyone she'd ever heard of before. "I think it started with a 'T'," she offered weakly. "If you said it, I'd probably remember."

Lucius sneered. "Why don't I give you a list of everyone I've ever used for these kinds of missions? That's the sort of thing you wanted to know, isn't it?" More tears leaked down Cissa's cheeks, and he was rational enough to stop and consider for a moment. "Thatcher?"

A small glimmer of hope blossomed in her stomach. "Yes, that's who it was!"

Her husband did not seem enthused. "Why, though? Thatcher under the Imperius Curse. Why did he say he did it?"

The memory was coming back to her in little snippets. "He made some comment about him being worthless or something... maybe that he didn't have any information." She raised her head and looked over at him.

"Maybe, or definitely!?" Lucius's temper was very short.

"No, definitely," Cissa amended quickly, clearing her throat from crying so much. "Thatcher didn't have the information you needed." She suddenly jolted back to the letter. "Yes, that's what it was – you're supposed to make a new contact because Thatcher wasn't useful!"

For a long moment, he was silent. Then he came over to her and positioned his face inches away from hers. "You're sure." His gaze was deadly serious. She nodded fervently. "And that's all that was in the letter."

Narcissa nodded again, slower. "That's what I remember being important."

His eyes dared her to even slightly lie to him. "You're _sure_. Because I can't just go ask Nott what he wrote to me," he said, his voice becoming louder. "He'll question why I didn't receive it, who _did_ receive it, why I didn't stop the someone else from receiving it, and any number of other _life-threatening_ questions." Narcissa gazed into his eyes, her own wide with fright.

"That's what I remember being important, Lucius," she repeated, very timidly.

He seemed to accept this, and stood up straight again. With that off his mind, he narrowed his eyes again slightly. "So, let's review this, shall we?" He did not break her gaze for a moment. "You got loaded. Broke into my -"

"I'm not drunk!" she insisted.

"Well you sure as hell aren't sober, Narcissa!" he growled, silencing her. "You broke into my study. You went through my private, confidential documents," he indicated the drawers. "You opened a letter that was delivered to my private study for my eyes only, and read it." She couldn't stand his accusing gaze any longer and looked away. "And you fully intended to lie to me about the entire thing, if the letter had not inconveniently disintegrated."

Her blotchy cheeks may as well have been rivers. "That's not fair. You've been hiding this from me for weeks – when were you planning to tell me that you were breaking into the Ministry!?"

"That is none of your business!" he retorted sharply.

If she hadn't been so upset, she'd have laughed sarcastically. "You're going on a suicide mission and it's none of my business?" she asked incredulously.

"Suicide mission? This is exactly why I didn't tell you, and I stand by my decision. You're far too emotional to be rational about anything."

"Rational!? I'm the one being rational, Lucius!"

"Enough. That's not what we're talking about." He looked at her with disgust. "Have you no respect for me whatsoever?"

She just stared at the ground, crying. He was still burning up with anger. "Well, Narcissa? Do you have no respect for your me? Your husband? Have you lost all respect for the Malfoy name?" Cissa shook her head miserably, but he pressed on. "Have you no respect for the Dark Lord?"

At that, she looked up at him, her eyes full of tears. "Lucius, I just thought... ...I – "

He cut her off. "You thought you knew better." He came closer, looking down at her with real fury. "Well, you don't, _Cissy_. You _don't_ know better. And that is why you are merely a housewife, and not a Death Eater."

That cut her to the core. 'Merely' his wife. She turned her head away from him, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. She couldn't even reply to that.

"Father always did instruct me to use a firm hand with my wife. I'm sure in this instance he'd say you deserve to be whipped." His voice carried such anger that he sounded as though he could deliver on that.

He grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her roughly to her feet, up against him. "I _should_, but I won't. Aren't you grateful?" he demanded, gripping her arms tightly. All she could do was cry and shake her head. He pushed her away roughly. "Get out of my sight."

Knowing that if she remained any longer he might change his mind, Narcissa left the room as quickly as she could.

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_A/N: Thank you so much to everyone for the compliments and suggestions! Your reviews really inspire me to write more, so thank you for the support! Several people have raised questions about including other characters in the story, so I just wanted to let everyone know - Bellatrix WILL be included in the story, Draco PROBABLY will be in the story, and Snape MIGHT be in the story. So stay tuned! Things are getting a bit crazy for the poor Malfoy family, but we all know that they're okay in the end, so keep that in mind! _

_Please don't forget to review!_


	8. Chapter 8

Lucius paced back and forth in front of the fireplace in his study. He could not _believe_ the way this evening had panned out. Never in a thousand years would he have guessed that Narcissa would open his private mail. Breaking into his study, snooping around without actually touching anything – that was the Narcissa he knew. But for her to have the _nerve_ to open a letter meant for him... He shook his head angrily. For her to blatantly defy him like that, without thought to the consequences! He sorely hoped that she had relayed the contents of the letter accurately; if he missed something important, they would all be in serious danger of failing miserably. And Lucius couldn't afford to fail the Dark Lord, not on an operation of this importance.

His thoughts returned to his wife. He had not an ounce of pity for her. In fact, he'd never been more angry with her in his entire life. If this had been his mum and dad, 'Mummy' would not have been getting out of bed for a very long time; and at the moment Lucius could empathize with his _father_. Narcissa... he'd wanted to hurt her. _Really_ hurt her. A little slap in the face and a little tug on her hair – he'd wanted to do so much more. He could've really hit her, so that it did more than just scare her. She deserved it...

Lucius stopped and stared into the fire. When had he become like his father? He felt his chest constrict slightly, and he clasped a hand over his mouth. Unlike his father, he _loved_ his wife.

A sob rose in his chest, and he pushed it down with all his strength. Narcissa was his sweet, beautiful darling... He didn't really want to cause her pain. ...But _Merlin_ she could be so _STUPID_ when she drank! Just a few glasses, and all her decision-making skills went straight to hell...

But he couldn't blame the alcohol. Narcissa had openly betrayed his trust, and she'd known what she was doing.

He leaned against the mantle, gazing into the flames. She'd gotten what she deserved, no more and no less. The fact that he'd wanted to really hurt her upset him deeply, but he felt that he'd adequately controlled that impulse. Cissa was not hurt, she was merely upset, which would serve well to control any urge to meddle in the future.

He wasn't sorry.

* * *

Narcissa awoke from her very light sleep feeling exhausted and sore all over. She glanced over at the other side of the bed, but Lucius did not occupy it. Either he'd left already, or he'd never come to bed.

Slowly, she sat up. Seeing that the bedclothes on the other side were laying perfectly smooth, she doubted that he had ever come to bed. Sighing miserably, she slowly pulled back the covers and slid to her feet, wincing at the dull ache in her muscles. She walked over to the mirror, staring at her reflection. She was a mess – tangled hair, dark circles beneath her eyes. The sick feeling that had pervaded her stomach the previous night still refused to go away.

The door to the room opened very quietly, and her husband came in, equally silent. He first glanced at the bed, but, finding her not there, looked over to where she stood, his expression betraying his slight surprise. Very quickly, though, he recovered from his surprise and adopted a very curt expression. Lucius came toward her, walking purposefully, and Narcissa immediately became apprehensive. He didn't touch her, though, and actually passed by her without so much as a nod, heading for their large wardrobe. He was still wearing his Death Eater robes, she noticed. Timidly, she turned slightly toward him. "Did you sleep at all?"

He raised his head at the sound of her voice, but did not turn to face her, and continued unbuttoning his robes. "No," he replied tersely.

Narcissa bit her lip, uncertain of what to do. One part of her wanted to throw herself at his feet and beg for forgiveness, the part of her that felt sick knowing he was angry with her. Another part of her was too afraid to do anything – after all, he _had_ completely lost control of his temper last night, and he was slowly becoming more physical with her all the time. Before the events of these past weeks, he'd never laid a hand on her when he was upset with her. Part of her was furious with him for treating her like that, and for concealing something so important from her. And still another part of her was sincerely worried about him. He was going to break into the _Ministry of Magic_, where he'd be a sitting duck for the Aurors. It was just plain foolhardy. Preoccupied with these thoughts and feelings, Narcissa just stood there, watching him change out of his Death Eater robes and into something more comfortable.

Lucius finished dressing and turned around to face her. Startled by his sudden movement, she flinched, reflexively ready for him to shout at her some more. However, his expression changed as he stared at her. His face, which had initially expressed brusqueness, slowly transformed into a look resembling... horror? The sick feeling in her stomach became worse. "What?" she asked, confused and quite a bit frightened.

"What was that?" he asked, his voice quieter than she'd been expecting.

"What are you talking about?" she asked nervously. He took a step forward as she said this, and she shrank away from him.

He continued moving toward her, and she unconsciously backed away as he did. "Cissa, stop it!" he cried, in a tone of voice she didn't understand.

Had he finally lost it? She shook her head slightly, still moving away. "I don't know what you mean, – "

Lucius strode forward quickly, grabbing her upper arms. Narcissa steeled herself for the bruising pain, but was surprised to find his grip very gentle. "Why are you backing away from me like that?" His voice sounded a bit constricted, as though he was choking back his emotions.

Narcissa looked up at him, realizing why he was upset. For a long moment, she stared at him plainly. Was he seriously asking her that? "Well, Lucius... for all I know, you're still blazing mad at me."

He studied her eyes almost frantically. "But I didn't hit you, Cissa; I didn't..." His voice trailed off.

A flash of anger went through her mind. "Actually, you did." The outraged part of her was taking over, now that he wasn't so threatening. He was going to downplay how he'd reacted? Certainly not!

"A little slap, that was all!" he retorted defensively.

She pulled out of his grasp. "Nonsense. You went flying off the handle and threw me around like a doll! How dare you make light of the way you treated me!" she responded, furious. Needing an excuse to turn away from him, she went over to the bed and fixed the covers where she'd been sleeping.

Lucius remained where he stood. "Narcissa, I did not do anything that you didn't deserve."

"Well, if he were here, I'm sure your father would agree."

Her husband took a few steps toward her. "Don't bring my father into this!" he hissed, clearly hurt by the reference. "It didn't ever occur to you that I might be right, did it? That maybe you really didn't need to know. No, that you _shouldn't_ know," he demanded.

Narcissa turned away from the bed, starting to retort, but he cut her off. "It didn't even cross your mind that I was trying to protect you, did it? I'm not a fool, Narcissa; I'm well aware that breaking into the Ministry is an enormous risk to take! So what if we were to fail now, hmm? You knew. You knew that we were going to do it, and you're an accomplice for not reporting it to the Aurors." He stared down at her, angry but controlled, and guilt began trickling into Narcissa's consciousness. "Somehow I don't think you would last too long in Azkaban."

_That_ comment set her off again. "I could say the same for you," she responded.

Lucius narrowed his eyes slightly. "If your worthless cousin could survive there and escape, I'm sure I would cope just fine."

"We'll see," she answered snidely, and immediately regretted it.

"Will we? And you're looking forward to this." With a haughty and hurt look, he turned his back on her and began walking away.

"Lucius, don't, please!" She hadn't meant to insinuate that she _wanted_ him to end up in prison. His pace slowed. "You know this mission is a foolish one! You know you're bound to be caught!"

He stopped and turned to her. "On the contrary, I know of no such thing."

There was a long silence, in which Lucius studied her with an odd expression on his face. Narcissa could not think of a response for him, nor could she quite place the expression he was wearing. In a way it made her uncomfortable, but he seemed more concerned than contentious. Finally unable to stand it anymore, she fixed him with a look that clearly demanded _What_?

He took her in for another moment before responding. "You had better pray that the Dark Lord never gets wind of any of this." He paused again, gazing at her. "For as much as you think I'm a monster, it would destroy me if I was ordered to harm you." Lucius clenched his jaw for a moment, his eyes fixed on her. Abruptly, he turned and walked toward the door, saying over his shoulder as he left, "Forgive me if I hurt you last night."

The door shut behind him.

Lucius had just asked for her forgiveness? She stood with her mouth gaping for a moment, shocked. Her husband had just apologized for something he'd done. Suddenly, everything was all right again. He _never_ came out and admitted that he was wrong; he would never do that unless he felt truly terrible about it. Recovering from her initial shock, she sprang forward, opening the door and hurrying down the hallway after him.

"Lucius!" she called after him. He slowed to a halt, turning partway toward her. She slid her arms around his waist when she finally reached him, training her gaze on the front of his robes instead of at his face. "Lucius, I'm sorry for betraying your trust like that; I didn't mean any harm. I just couldn't bear not knowing what danger you're facing..." She realized she was making excuses. "No matter. What's done is done." She stopped to take a breath, then sighed. "And I do forgive your ..._aggression_ yesterday, though I must make clear that I _really_ would rather not have my hair pulled in the future."

For a moment, she felt his cheek against her hair, and his hands held her gently at the elbows. The next moment, though, he raised his head and sighed quietly. "This does not mean I'm happy with you, Narcissa." Slowly, she lifted her chin to look at him. He seemed very tired, and still quite stressed. She nodded that she understood. Lucius gave her arms a soft squeeze before releasing them and moving away, heading for the staircase.

The sickening feeling in Narcissa's stomach finally eased a little as she watched her husband descend the stairs. With a quiet sigh, she went to begin the tedious process of untangling her hair.

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_A/N: Well, hopefully that makes things a little better! Poor Cissa and Lucius. Hopefully they'll figure it all out, soon.  
Remember - reviews are the nectar of an author's life! _:)


	9. Chapter 9

The manor was unbearably quiet for several weeks. Lucius barely spoke to his wife, who in turn, remained quiet most of the time. Even the portraits offered very little in the way of conversation since witnessing the blow-up between the couple. The silence was deafening, and Narcissa was not sure how much more of it she could take.

So when she heard voices coming from the first floor, Cissa was immediately curious. The voices were muffled, but she followed the sound down the stairs and to the door of their first-floor parlor. The door was slightly ajar, and Narcissa peered through the narrow opening furtively, doing her best not to make a sound.

She could see Lucius was seated easily in an armchair, with brandy-glass in hand. Pacing slowly around the room was the dark figure immediately recognizable as her sister, clearly unable to sit still – this was nothing new. Narcissa moved to stand against the wall outside the room so that she couldn't be seen, straining to hear their conversation.

"Potter will not want to hand over the Prophecy without a fight, but we must not allow the situation to become a brawl."

"Fight? He's nothing but a baby."

"He's fifteen years old _now_, Bellatrix, and he takes every opportunity to flaunt his so-called 'bravery.' How would this plan work if he were otherwise?" There was a slight pause. "He's a headstrong fool. It'll be difficult to keep him from lashing out like the imbecile that he is."

"Perhaps a bit of fighting would do him some good. Teach him what real power is."

"Perhaps you should remember to keep your wand under control, Bella, and let me decide our course of action. The Dark Lord will handle Potter; our mission is that Prophecy," Lucius's voice interjected smoothly. "Remember that you'll be following _my_ orders, not letting loose the moment you set eyes on them."

"The world could do with a few less Mudbloods."

"Indeed, my dear sister, and I am certain that the Dark Lord will not deny you the pleasure of lowering their population... but all in due time. Tomorrow we must only think of our mission."

_Tomorrow_. Narcissa bit her lip. Sooner than she'd expected – though the two seemed confident enough, so Lucius must have found a more useful contact in the Ministry. She closed her eyes and sighed. Bellatrix was not the person she would have selected for a mission that required secrecy and discretion, though she _was_ a very powerful witch.

Bringing her attention back to the present, Narcissa realized that they were no longer speaking. She listened harder for a moment, then heard someone heading for the door. Before she could get away, Bella threw open the door and came out. "You know, Cissy," she said with a jeering smirk, "usually when people eavesdrop they try not to _sigh_ too loudly."

Cissa closed her eyes in frustration for a moment, cursing her continual bad luck.

Her older sister moved out of the doorway. "Please – join us. There's no need for you to stand with your ear against the door."

Cringing at what her husband's expression must have been at that moment, Narcissa moved toward the doorway. "Thanks for inviting me into_ my own_ parlor, Bella," she muttered as she walked past her. As she came through the doorway, her eyes locked with Lucius's, and her stomach flip-flopped. His expression was unreadable, which made her more anxious than if he'd been furious. She walked into the center of the room, standing before her husband silently.

Bella closed the door and came over to them, walking directly between the two to get to the sofa, even though there was plenty of space to walk _behind_ Narcissa. Lucius and Cissa continued to stare at each other, until their sister broke the silence.

"So, Cissy, what do you think of the mission?"

What a brash, obnoxious question. Narcissa turned her head slowly toward her sister. "To be perfectly honest, I think it's downright mad."

Bellatrix snorted. "You would." She looked at Lucius mockingly. "Perhaps if you practiced dueling a bit more, Cissy wouldn't be so frightened for your life."

"Let me know the next time the Dark Lord lets you lead a mission," Lucius replied without breaking his stare at his wife. "Besides, I'm certain Cissy would worry even if I were as powerful as the Dark Lord himself."

Cissa turned back toward him and arched an eyebrow. "Indeed." Of course she would. The Dark Lord was sending them on a _very_ foolish mission, and it made her question the Dark Lord himself.

Bellatrix crossed her arms, frowning at the two of them. "We're taking a prophecy from a bunch of brats. What's to worry about?"

They both turned to look at her, and Narcissa piped up immediately. "You're breaking into the Ministry of Magic. The Aurors will be on you within minutes – _then_ ask me what there is to worry about!"

Lucius looked up at her sharply and started to say something, but Bella cut him off. "Aurors?" she laughed. "You think the _Aurors_ are stronger than _us_?"

Narcissa did not appreciate her sister's flippant attitude. "They're strong enough!" she countered.

Bella stood up and swaggered toward her. "The Dark Arts will always be more powerful than anything the Aurors have, and we have learned them from the Dark Lord himself. You're suggesting that a few Mudbloods and blood-traitors are too much for us to cope with?" Her expression had become a bit maniacal.

Cissa began to retort, and Lucius interrupted her. Undaunted, she raised her voice and continued arguing with her sister. "What I'm saying is that you have every reason to be cautious, Bella – something you've never understood!"

Her older sister's eyes widened slightly. "Beside the Dark Lord, the Death Eaters are the most powerful wizards in the world! Even in a tight situation, what need is there for your 'caution' when it's much _easier_ just to overwhelm the enemy?"

"You make it sound _so_ easy, don't you, but as I recall, it took the Dark Lord himself to get you out of your last 'tight situation'!"

Lucius stood sharply. "That's enough," he snapped. Bellatrix was looking murderous, but he ignored her and faced his wife. "I believe you were warned rather firmly not so very long ago to keep your thoughts to yourself," he said icily. His eyes clearly told her to shut up. Narcissa was fuming, but his reminder of the Dark Lord's threat stopped her from saying any more. She crossed her arms over her chest and kept her eyes focused on her husband, refusing to look at her sister – who was likely thrilled that feisty little Cissy had been silenced with a single sentence.

Wordlessly, Lucius gestured for her to sit down. Narcissa clenched her fists tightly, but obediently moved over to the love seat and sat, giving him an angry stare.

Bellatrix laughed.

Narcissa's cheeks flushed with frustration, but she did not react to her sister.

Lucius began to speak, and his voice was softer than she'd been expecting. "This mission will require more caution and stealth than dueling skills. We will take the prophecy from Potter and then dispose of the little brat and his friends _quietly_." He held Narcissa's gaze for a moment longer before turning his head to Bellatrix. "If we do our job correctly, we shall be in and out with the prophecy before anyone even notices something amiss." The dark woman crossed her arms, looking slightly annoyed.

"And you think that Harry Potter won't fight back?"

The two Death Eaters turned away from each other and faced Narcissa. "Fight back!?" Bellatrix exclaimed.

Lucius glanced at her sideways, a bit irritated, before once more regarding his wife. "We must dissuade him from fighting," he explained smoothly. "He is easily manipulated."

"Even if he _were_ to attack us – do you honestly think he'd pose any sort of threat? A little boy!?" Bellatrix scoffed.

Narcissa gritted her teeth at her sister's flippancy. "He has escaped the Dark Lord in full body _twice_ now."

Her sister rolled her eyes. "Luck."

"He has learned a few spells, surely, from the Triwizard Tournament, but I do not think that he will overcome an entire team of Death Eaters," Lucius said, glancing from Bellatrix to Narcissa.

There was no talking sense into them. Why they could not see that they were walking into a Devil's Snare, she could not fathom. Bellatrix was beyond fanatical, and Lucius seemed to be buying right into it. Narcissa lowered her gaze to the ground. What did she want her husband to do, anyway? It wasn't as though he had a choice.

She shifted uncomfortably, not making eye-contact with either of them. "I don't want you to do this," she said quietly, knowing that she shouldn't be saying it. But there. She'd said it. And she'd meant it.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then Bellatrix stepped closer. "Cissy, what are you saying? The Dark Lord requires that prophecy; of course we must go retrieve it!" She spoke to her little sister as if the latter were completely insane. "You want to help the Dark Lord achieve his rightful glory, don't you? Of course you do, Cissy! You have to be strong – he won't stand for weakness among his followers. No more talk of this _foolishness_. He'll punish you again, and he won't hesitate to hurt you, if you don't control your anxiety!"

Lucius remained silent, letting his sister-in-law have her say.

"Don't be such a coward," Bella continued. "Completing this mission for the Dark Lord will bring our family all the closer to him; it will please him immensely. You cannot say you don't want that for your family. Cissy?"

Narcissa slowly nodded, for her sister's satisfaction and nothing else. True, she wanted to please the Dark Lord, and she wanted prestige for her family, but she didn't want her family in unnecessary danger, either. However, Bella accepted her nod as agreement.

Cissa glanced up at her husband. His silence confused her – did he agree with Bella, or did he have an opinion that he would not share in front of Bella? Or, was he just so tired of his wife that he left the scolding to someone else? When her eyes met his, however, she saw that he'd put on his 'Malfoy' face. He was hiding something – a thought, an emotion, ...something. Hiding it from Bellatrix, not her, because if he'd wanted to hide it from Cissa he wouldn't have gazed at her so intently.

Before Bellatrix could notice their connection, Lucius turned away from both of them and returned to his armchair. Picking up his brandy glass, he said, "We're retrieving the prophecy tomorrow, regardless of what any of us _want_. If the Dark Lord decrees it, it must be so."

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_A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you so much to everyone for being so patient!!! Hopefully, the wait for the next chapter will not be so long. I got my hands on a copy of OotP, and it seems to have inspired me. As always, please review!! And again, sorry for the looooong wait! _:)


	10. Chapter 10

When Bellatrix had finally left the manor, Narcissa immediately sought answers from her husband. 

"Lucius, what were you trying to tell me?" she asked, returning to the parlor where he was still seated.

Her husband glanced up at her. "What are you talking about?" He sipped his drink, looking away from her again.

"When Bella was lecturing me. You were restraining yourself from saying something. What was it?"

Lucius glanced up at her again, then finished off his brandy. He sat the glass down and rose to his feet. Narcissa had all but given up on him answering her, but he began to speak as he offered her his arm. "You should not have made such a statement in the presence of your sister," he said as she took his arm and they began walking. "She may be protective of you, but she will not hesitate to reveal all to the Dark Lord."

Narcissa frowned slightly, but said nothing. She could think of no response. Bellatrix was her sister, and she no more wanted Bella back in Azkaban than she wanted Lucius locked up. The statement had been directed at both of them. Especially since... "I didn't know that Harry Potter was involved in this mission."

Her husband smirked slightly. "Come now Cissa, any fool would link the Dark Lord and a prophecy with Harry Potter."

She bowed her head slightly. "And how are you luring him into the Department of Mysteries, may I ask?"

"Well, actually..." He stopped walking and turned to face her. "I suppose I should give you your credit where it is due."

"What do you mean?"

Lucius lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against her knuckles. "It is entirely thanks to you that we have a plan to lure Potter into the Ministry. You recall that your aunt's old house elf came to you at Christmas?"

Narcissa nodded slowly. "Kreacher, yes. But he couldn't tell us anything of interest."

"On the contrary, he gave us some very important information – for instance, that your traitor cousin Black has become very close to his godson, Harry Potter." Lucius smiled, a bit nastily.

Slowly, Cissa's forehead uncreased. "You're using Sirius as bait?" This was getting completely out of hand. So many parts of this plan could easily go wrong...

"Even better." He raised his chin a bit, clearly proud of their ingenuity. "Potter will merely _think_ that we have Black, and he will come running to his rescue. All the suspected Order members have been removed from Hogwarts, and Kreacher will make sure that Black is out of the way, so no one will know of what Potter's trying to do... until it is too late."

Narcissa narrowed her eyes. "And how will you make Potter think that you've captured Sirius?"

Lucius was silent for a few moments, then raised his eyebrows slightly. "I've told you enough." He turned and began to ascend the stairs, towing her along behind.

"If I already know this much..." she trailed off.

He did not turn back to her. "You already know _too_ much, Cissa. It's not just about protecting you if we are caught, because I don't expect will shall be. The more I tell you, the more you can form opinions about what I am doing, and the more chance there is that you will let one of your opinions slip in front of the wrong person." Cissa's cheeks flushed, and she bit her lip to keep from retorting. "Besides – you are not a Death Eater, and the Dark Lord has not invited you to take part in this mission."

She remained silent until they reached the top of the stairs, taking the time to collect her thoughts. "Lucius, need I remind you that I have very few living family members, and a good number of them are risking their lives on this mission."

"And need I remind _you_, dearest, that you and Draco are my _only_ immediate family members, excluding any in-law extended family." He stopped again and slid his hands to her upper arms. Lowering his voice, he murmured, "What do you think I would do if something were to happen to you? To either of you?" Narcissa said nothing, merely looking up at him. He leaned a bit closer. "Surely you can understand my desire to protect you, Cissa."

Narcissa felt her back suddenly pressing against the wall, and blushed as she abruptly became aware of their closeness. Judging by the current look in her husband's eyes, and her quick assessment of their whereabouts, Lucius had been leading her to their bedroom without her even realizing it. She let a small, knowing smile of embarrassment form on her lips. "Oh, I understand _all _of your desires, Lucius Malfoy."

He smiled lightly as he snaked an arm around her waist. "I'm glad to hear it."

* * *

Cissa lay with her head against Lucius's bare chest, waiting for her heart to slow to its normal pace. His strong arms were wrapped around her, and he was idly tracing patterns on her back with his thumb. Her upper body rose and fell in time with his breathing. Despite feeling calmer and better in general than she'd felt in weeks, a terrible dread taunted her in the back of her mind. Unfortunately, she doubted if Lucius was ready to hear more about her worries, and she really was enjoying the comfort of his embrace.

"Lucius..." she said softly, a few minutes of silence later.

A barely listening "Hm?" was his response.

She lifted her head to look at him. "You _will_ be careful tomorrow, won't you?"

He sighed quietly. "Am I not always?"

Narcissa met his gaze for a moment, then lowered her head again, closing her eyes. She was only just back in favor with him. She really didn't want to make him angry, especially not when he needed to be concentrating on his mission. But she had such a bad feeling about this break-in...

"I'm very worried for you," she said, her voice barely audible.

"I'm well aware."

She frowned. He never took her seriously anymore. Unable to impress her concerns upon him, she moved off of him, turning over to lay next to him on her back. "Cissa, where are you going...?" He sat up slightly, supported by his elbows. Narcissa turned her head away from him to hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes. Merlin knows, he'd had quite enough of her crying in the recent past. Despite her valiant efforts, though, tears began rolling down her cheeks. And this time when she cried, there was none of her righteous anger of previous days, nor her desperate hysteria. The tears that now dribbled down her face were the result of helpless, pathetic worry. 

Lucius leaned toward her, sliding a hand to her wet cheek. "Lovey, I assure you, there have been missions with just as much – if not more – danger involved. It is nothing that we cannot handle." He kissed her forehead. "Understand?" he asked gently, stroking her face. Narcissa pursed her lips in an effort to repress her sobs, and nodded. Her husband smiled slightly, though it seemed forced. "Now come here." He held out his arms to her, gently enveloping her in his embrace when she moved toward him. "No more tears now, alright?" She nodded, brushing the tears off her face. Lucius kissed her, very gently and affectionately. "This will all be over by tomorrow night, and I will be right back here, and you'll have no more cause for such constant worry."

Silently, Narcissa prayed that he was right.

* * *

Very late that night, Lucius lay awake, staring into the darkness. His beautiful wife was nestled close to him, sleeping soundly. Anxieties filled his mind – foremost, that his rash sister-in-law would do something foolish and cause chaos. If he could keep the others under his control, everything would go perfectly smoothly. He had no doubt that the Death Eaters could easily overpower Potter and his little friends... but could they defeat Aurors with such ease? ...Never mind that. There were no Aurors in the plan. They should never get wind of anything until they were long gone. 

This was the most important mission of his life – he must not fail to bring the prophecy to his master.

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_A/N: Woohoo, two in one week! I hope it was up to par - I always get a bit nervous posting lovey-dovey things. Anywho, don't forget to REVIEW! It keeps the story going! And a big thank you to all my regular reviewers - you're just wonderful! _:)�


	11. Chapter 11

Hours of waiting. Hours of silence. Hours of nothing but sitting and listening to the nothingness, hoping for some good news.

The longer the waiting went on, the more Narcissa Malfoy was certain that something had gone wrong.

And then the bell rang, signaling that someone was at the gate, and confirming her worst fears. She answered the call, allowing Ministry officials to enter her foyer. Using sharp, concise sentences that were now a blur in her memory, they told Narcissa of her husband's arrest for breaking and entering the Ministry of Magic, for attempted theft of a prophecy in the possession of the Department of Mysteries, for fraternizing with wanted criminals, for the use of the Unforgivable Curses, and for aiding, abetting, and conspiring with the Dark Lord in an attempt to overthrow the Ministry of Magic. The officials then ordered her none-too-gently to accompany them to the Ministry, where they would commence with questioning regarding her involvement in this plot. Keeping a stony veneer, Narcissa agreed graciously to go with them, refusing to be herded around like a common criminal.

Of course they questioned her regarding this break-in, about which she claimed to know nothing. When it became clear from the witnesses' reports specifically which escaped Death Eaters had been present at the battle, Narcissa was interrogated regarding any knowledge of her sister and brother-in-law. Naturally, she denied knowing their whereabouts; indeed, she denied having any form of contact with them since their incarceration.

Fortunately for her, the Malfoys had enough sway with the right people in the Ministry to avoid the use of Veritaserum, for a certain price – and money was certainly no object.

When finally Narcissa was free to return to the manor, she found a warrant attached to the door and her home in a shambles. Clearly, the Ministry had searched their home for evidence against her husband. Furniture was overturned, Lucius's office was torn apart. Various relatives in the portraits were in an uproar, running around between the paintings, talking with each other. One of the family owls approached her with a letter from Draco – apparently, news traveled fast.

Narcissa took the letter and, without opening it, went to her bedroom. Tears now threatened to flow freely down her cheeks, and for some reason she did not want the portraits to see her cry. Once in the bedroom, she slammed the door behind her and threw herself down onto the bed. Sobs overtook her.

Perhaps she should have taken Divination more seriously in school, for she'd _known_ that this mission would not end well.

Her well-deserved cry was interrupted suddenly by a voice coming from the fireplace. Hastily, Narcissa wiped her eyes and tried to quiet her sobs before sitting up and turning to the fireplace. Her sister's ghostly face was in the fire. "Cissy!" Bellatrix's voice sounded anxious and hurried. "Cissy, uncharm the floo, quickly!"

For a moment, Narcissa was inclined to leave the room and ignore her sister's orders. This was likely all Bella's fault. The urgency in her voice, however, led Narcissa to believe that Bella had some kind of important information to tell her, and so she got out her wand and relinquished the charm on the floo which prevented anyone from traveling through that chimney.

Almost immediately, Bellatrix stumbled out from the fireplace. Looking completely disheveled and wild-eyed, she advanced on her sister rapidly. "Cissy, the Dark Lord wishes to see you, now." Bella grabbed Cissa by the upper arm and pulled her toward the fireplace. When she resisted slightly, her older sister tightened her grip intensely, crushing her sister's arm.

Fear and dread clenched in Narcissa's stomach. "Why?" she croaked out, feeling slightly faint.

Bellatrix yanked her sister around to face her. "Do not question him," she growled, shaking her slightly. "Do _not_ say anything foolish!"

Before Cissa could reply, Bellatrix tossed some floo powder into the fire, shoved her little sister in, and shouted a destination that Narcissa could not understand over the wind flying by her face.

She landed finally in a room she did not recognize, and took a few steps out of the fireplace. Biting her lip to keep from weeping, Narcissa looked around to find that she was alone in the room, save for the wizard standing not two meters away to her right. Her chest constricted with fear, and she tried to hide her intense fright by bowing deeply to him.

"I understand you had a long talk with the Ministry of Magic, Narcissa Malfoy." The Dark Lord's voice clearly betrayed his angry mood.

"Yes, my lord," she whispered, unable to use her voice.

"I suppose they informed you of your husband's utter failure."

Chills ran down her spine at his disdainful tone. She dared not contradict him, and so replied, "Yes, my lord."

"And I trust that you did not give them any information that would be detrimental to our cause..." Even though she knew she hadn't, Narcissa immediately panicked and thought back over everything she'd said. "No? ... Look at me."

Though every little bit of her screamed no, she forced her face to rise to meet her master's. His intense red glare was even more intimidating than usual, and as soon as she met his gaze, she felt him enter her mind, making certain that she wasn't lying. For a long moment, he sifted through her interrogation. Apparently satisfied, he wrenched his presence back out of her mind violently, making her fall forward onto her knees.

Without any warning, the word "_Crucio!_" rang out, and Cissa was wrapped in searing pain. It only lasted a few moments, and she weakly looked up at the Dark Lord when it stopped. "Dear Lucius has been extremely disappointing to me, Narcissa Malfoy. His failure has set back my plans significantly." Narcissa bowed her head, knowing what to expect. Sure enough, he cried "_Crucio!_" once more, tearing her apart from the inside out. The Dark Lord's anger was clearly great, for she'd never felt such agony in her life. When she next realized that the torture had ceased, she was in the fetal position on the floor. "It is perhaps fortunate for Lucius that he was captured by the Ministry." The threat was very real, and Narcissa felt her insides squirm. Would he kill her instead?

But nothing more came. She raised her head to look at the Dark Lord, and was a bit disturbed to find him merely watching her. Unable to bear the suspense of waiting for him to act first, Narcissa lowered her gaze and pushed herself up to her knees. Then, slowly, she rose to her feet, forcing herself not to faint or falter.

Rather than seeing this as defiance, the Dark Lord seemed intrigued. He stepped closer to her, seemingly examining her. A shiver ran through her body as he came closer.

Then her breath caught in her throat.

The Dark Lord ran a hand through her hair, tangling his fingers in the long blond strands. He pulled it just enough that her head turned awkwardly to the side. "You _could_seek to earn my affections back," he hissed, bringing his face very close to her ear. Her heart began to pound madly in fear; icy chills ran through her. Her master's face traveled down the length of her neck, almost touching. He let his face hover at her neck, so that she could feel his breath on her skin. Narcissa bit her lip to keep from crying, screaming, or running away. Suddenly he was pulling her hair a bit harder. "But I have no use for a witch tainted with failure." He released her roughly, making sure it hurt.

Cissa staggered back, running into the table. Tears began rolling down her cheeks – she couldn't help it anymore.

The Dark Lord flicked his wand, and immediately she fell to the floor. "Get out of my sight," he snarled, turning his back on her and striding over to the window.

Shakily, Narcissa drew her wand and Disapparated. She landed outside the back gate of the Manor, and stepped right through the wrought iron, which was charmed so that the family could pass through. She headed straight into the house, and went to the first room she reached, which happened to be the downstairs parlor. Exhausted and despondent, she collapsed onto the love seat and broke down. Lucius... poor Lucius... All the horrible stories she'd heard about Azkaban rushed back to her; frightful images of Dementors, prisoners going mad and killing each other, the smell of death hanging heavily in the air... Her poor Lucius, trapped in that awful place... forever...

"What did he say?"

Narcissa lifted her head quickly, and saw Bellatrix coming through the parlor door. Cursing herself for forgetting about her sister, Cissa brushed the tears off her face.

Apparently she wasn't answering quickly enough, because Bella repeated the question. "Narcissa, what did he say?"

Cissa took a breath. "He only wanted to know that I hadn't told the Ministry anything important." She didn't mention the Dark Lord's strange and terrible suggestion that she might seek to regain his favor... ...especially not to Bellatrix.

"You didn't, did you?" Bella's eyes were wide.

"Of course I didn't! Do I really seem that idiotic?" She turned her head away from her sister, bursting into tears again.

Bellatrix paced across the room. "Pull yourself together, Cissy."

Anger flared up in Narcissa's chest. "Pull myself together!? Lucius is being sent to Azkaban, Bella!!"

Her sister turned to face her sharply. She was clearly on edge. "And did you cry like this when _I_was arrested?" Narcissa did not answer. "Of course you didn't. And Azkaban was actually something to be feared, then." Bellatrix stared down at her sister disdainfully. "The Dementors have left Azkaban; it is nothing like it once was. He is better off there than here."

Narcissa's eyes darkened. "Don't say that!"

Bellatrix raised her eyebrows. "Why? You know it is the truth. The Dark Lord would have killed him for letting the little brats break the prophecy."

"That hardly seems _his_fault," Narcissa said accusingly.

"He led the mission, Cissy. Of course it's his fault."

"But that's not fair! If Potter was the only one who could retrieve the prophecy, there's no way he could have gotten it without letting Potter get it first! It sounds to me as though _you_ blamed him, having no one else to pin it on!"

Bellatrix nearly hit her. "How _dare_ you! I have nothing to do with it! The Dark Lord knows what really happened; I could never possibly conceal anything from him! And _you_ had better watch your mouth – accusing the Dark Lord of dealing unfairly is traitorous at the very least."

"I don't care anymore," Narcissa growled. She was pushing Bellatrix over the edge and she knew it, but she didn't care.

"Cissy!" Her sister was incredulous. "You can't say things like that!"

"This is my home; I am not under your authority!"

"You are my little sister, Cissy, I have every right to -"

"Does that mean I must take orders from Andromeda, too?"

Bellatrix slapped her across the face, knocking her sideways onto the cushions. "DON'T YOU _DARE_ SAY THAT NAME IN MY PRESENCE!" she roared. "You deceitful little hussy! Say something like that again, and I'll curse you where you stand!"

Narcissa slowly broke into sobs, clutching a throw-pillow tightly against her. "I just need Lucius," she cried helplessly, squeezing the pillow. "I don't know what to do without him; I need him..."

Bella watched her sister cry for a few long moments, calming herself a bit. Then she moved closer and stroked her sister's hair lightly. "Poor Cissy," she said quietly. "Lost your pretty husband."

The younger sister pulled away from her touch, feeling the derision in her sister's pity. "Do not mock my pain," she said through clenched teeth.

"Never." Her full lips curved into a smile.

Narcissa sat up, still holding the pillow, and shoved her sister's hand away.

Bellatrix's smile waned slightly. "Oh, settle down, Cissy. You'll have Lucius back as soon as the Dark Lord wishes it."

She looked up at her sister, anguished. "And what if the Dark Lord never wants him back?"

"He will, eventually. It may not be until he is fully in power, but he will want his faithful followers back, someday." She turned away from Narcissa and walked toward the window, then walked back again, once more looking agitated. Bella's moods swung so rapidly that Cissa had a hard time keeping up. The older sister pushed up her left sleeve, looking at her Mark.

"What's the matter?" Narcissa asked.

Bellatrix pursed her lips before glancing up. "He hasn't summoned me. I thought he would call me back as soon as he'd spoken with you." She glanced down at her arm again, obviously concerned. "Perhaps he is dealing with the arrests, first." She looked up at Narcissa again, who nodded quickly – only to mollify her.

"That's probably what it is," Narcissa said, not believing a word of it.

* * *

_A/N: Yay, a long one! Once again, the wait was long, but I hope it was worth it. ...I heart reviews, by the way. _:D


	12. NEW Announcement!

**NEW ANNOUNCEMENT!:**

Hello all! I know it's been quite a while since this story has been updated, and I deeply apologize for that. I've been ridiculously busy with college and work.

But, good news! I am rewriting the entire fic, starting at the beginning, and now the first three chapters are posted for your viewing pleasure!! They are listed as a separate fiction, entitled "Grave Mistakes" (clever, I know), which you can find on my profile!

For those of you who still care - thank you so much for being my readers, it has meant so much to me!

Now go R&R the NEW AND IMPROVED story!!!


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